Name: ____________________________________________

Investigation: What Factors Affect Seed Germination? Introduction In the spring, flowers begin to bloom and you may see sprouts in the garden. How do plants know when it's spring and when to grow? If a seed grew too early, it might be exposed to a harsh cold environment. If it grew too late, it might not have enough water to survive. The process by which an organism grows from a seed into a plant is called germination. The seed of a plant is the embryo, and it contains enough energy for the plant to survive until it is time to start growing. In some cases, these seeds can survive for years. What triggers the seed to start growing? It varies by plant and by the environmental conditions where the plant grows. The giant sequoia trees of California require fire to germinate. This adaptation ensures that new trees will grow when there is an opening created by the death of other trees. If the seeds germinated without fire, the seedlings would be too shaded to grow. Not all plants need fire to start growing, but most do take the cues from the environment. In this activity, you will investigate factors that can affect the germination of a seedling.

Part 1: Consider a Question / Hypothesis Several variables might affect the germination, these variables include: light

temperature

water

soil type

air quality

Choose ONE variable to investigate. Write a hypothesis below. Remember, that the hypothesis should be a complete sentence that can be tested.

Part 2: Design an Experiment With your lab group, determine how you could test the variable. What kind of data will you gather? Will you have a control group? What kind of materials or equipment will you need? How many seeds will you use? Sketch or describe your experiment below. Your instructor will approve your plan before you set it up.

Available Materials radish or bean seeds plastic storage bags paper towels window/sunlight water vinegar soil refrigerator (other materials may be available, check with your instructor):

Part 3: Gather Data Most seeds will germinate in a few days. Plan to make observations over the next few days and organize your observations below. Be as detailed as you can about what you see.

Part 4: Publish Your Results Create a lab report or infographic that includes the following information from this investigation. You have written things down on this paper, now it is time to organize the information into a formal report. This report should include four detailed sections. 1. Introduction: includes background information about the lab and your hypothesis| 2. Experimental Design: include a drawing and/or description of how you set up your experiment 3. Data: Organize observations into a data table 4. Conclusions: Use your data to answer the experimental question. Be specific in how you write this, your conclusions must follow your data, even if they didn't turn out as you were expecting. 5. Reflection: In this section, discuss how your results may provide insights into how the environment can affect plants in general and how this information can be useful to humans. For example, why would farmers need to consider germination factors when planting crops?

Lab Report Rubric

Excellent (3 pts)

Good (2 pts)

Needs Work (1 pt.)

Question / Hypothesis

written as a complete sentence, Unclear phrasing, does include at question is restated as a prediction least one question and answer that can be tested

Design

the procedure will accurately test procedure does test the hypothesis, procedure likely will not test the the hypothesis, can be followed parts are unclear or may not fully test, hypothesis as stated, procedure easily, materials listed or described some materials are listed unclear, materials not listed

Data

Clearly shows the all results of the experiment and includes a time frame, descriptors and any quantitative data taken, well organized,

Conclusions

Summarizes the data used to draw Summarizes data, answers some of conclusions; conclusions follow the experimental questions, includes data, the experimental question is a reference to the data answered

Does not answer question or summarize data, does not follow data or contains major errors in reasoning

Reflection

Provides a thoughtful opinion about Attempt to reflect upon the how this information can be useful experimental results and its uses to scientists, farmers, or humans

Does not provide coherent reflection

Shows some results with some time frame and descriptors, organization lacking or hard to follow

question is not answered, hypothesis not stated in a way that can be tested

results missing, hard to follow, only addresses part of the experiment, lack of organization